Faith
Such Generosity
I was telling my brother all about my trip today and updated him on the family members I visited. I thought about how each person lives their lives in an ordinary way, yet are caring, supportive, and making a difference in the lives of those around them. One cousin is a devout Catholic and has […]
Surprises Everywhere
As I have been travelling, I have just been picking hotels that seem convenient along the way. Last night I stayed in a place that was a block away from a major river with a metal arched bridge going over it. I walked over at sunset and was blessed with an amazing view. This morning […]
Heavenly Cathedral
This morning I was blessed to attend Mass in a beautiful cathedral. It was even more ornate than I had anticipated. Marble pillars surrounded the giant altar and held the lit dome canopie. On the ceiling above was painted the Nativity with many angles and saints surrounded the scene. A huge crucifix hung on the […]
Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine
Today I was able to visit a Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patron of the Americas and it seemed particularly fitting as today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I didn’t actually put that together until I arrived. There was a long winding pathway up […]
Roadside Chapels
I had the opportunity to see some very interesting and unique little chapels today. There is an old Belgian community that settled and farmed the land. They would build small personal chapels to thank God for a favor, to honor a particular saint or devotion, or to remember their loved ones. I had a map […]
More Cousins
Today I got to spend time with more cousins. We went to a local restaurant and I was proud of myself for trying some foods that I never had before. And it was delicious. We also went to a local town fair that was small but fun. Their son met us there with his girlfriend […]
Beautiful Place
Today my cousin’s wife came with me to visit a shrine that was in my book and near their city. It was just a tiny chapel that was built to be a “beautiful place” for people to go to worship and renew their faith. There was a big building next to the little chapel, so […]
1200 Relics
Today I visited an incredible shrine that held over 1200 relics, including first and second class relics of saints and even some pieces of the True Cross. I arrived in time for the tour and was the only one there, so it was a private tour. We went to the relic chapel first and the […]
Cousin Connection
When my dad was 18 years old, he entered a beautiful silhouette black and white photo of his sister into a photo competition. It won an “Honorable Mention”. The framed photo along with the ribbon has been traveling with our family ever since. It was also displayed at different photo competitions and exhibits as shown […]
The Serenity Prayer
Recently, a friend’s mother passed away and I have been praying with her prayer card. It has the serenity prayer on it. Many people know the first part by memory: “God grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference.” […]
